PROGRESSIVE POLITICS IN ROCKLAND COUNTY

November 11, 2010

Unless state Sen. Craig Johnson makes an improbable comeback as absentee ballots are counted in Nassau County, Democratic state Senate candidates who ran without Working Families Party support will remain winless. Others who lost were Mike Kaplowitz of Westchester, Mary Wilmot of the Rochester area and Sen. Darrel Aubertine of the North Country. WFP-backed Democrats in contested Senate races were more successful on the whole. Dave Valesky of Syracuse won re-election, David Carlucci and Tony Avella ousted GOP incumbents in Rockland County and Queens, and Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer is ahead in her Westchester recount. Queens Sen. Joe Addabbo won with help from nearly 60,000 WFP door-knocks. Sen. Antoine Thompson of Buffalo is trailing, however, and Brian Foley of Suffolk County lost.

October 29, 2010

Working Families and Conservative parties agree: New ballot favors the political establishment

by DAN CANTOR and MIKE LONG

Friday, October 29th 2010

Anyone familiar with New York politics knows that there isn't much the Conservative and Working Families parties agree on. But one idea we both hold dear is that voters should have the right to have their votes for minor parties count. That's why we're extremely concerned about a judge's recent decision to let stand a policy that will penalize voters and minor parties alike by disregarding votes cast on minor party lines when a voter makes a mistake at the ballot box.

By now, many voters know that New York has replaced its lever machines with optical scanners. This November will mark the first general election in which all New Yorkers will vote on paper ballots that will be read by the scanners. What is less well known is that the state has set up these scanners to favor the major parties - Democrats and Republicans - at the expense of minor parties.

Here's how it works. New York's "fusion" voting system allows for the same candidate to run on both a major party as well as a minor party line. For instance, this year voters can cast their ballot for Andrew Cuomo on either the Democratic, Independence or Working Families Party line and Carl Paladino on either the Republican or Conservative line. This allows voters to vote for a major party candidate while expressing their support for a minor party.

With the lever machines used in New York until this year, voters could not vote for the same candidate on both major and minor party lines. With the new system, voters can "double-vote" in this way, without any warning that their vote will only be counted for the major party and without any opportunity to correct their ballot.

In other words, this November, if you happen fill in the oval for Andrew Cuomo under both the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, the machine will not alert you to your mistake - nor give you an opportunity to correct it. It will simply count your vote for Cuomo on the Democratic line and disregard your vote on the Working Families Party line. Same if you filled in the bubble for Paladino on the Conservative and Republican lines. The Republicans get the vote, while the Conservative ballot is cast aside. The state ignores the fact that the voter has expressed intent to support a minor party.

So what, you might say. At least my vote for Cuomo or Paladino got counted. Not so fast. By cross endorsing-candidates, minor parties are able to advance the issues they care about by forcing politicians to acknowledge an additional constituency. It is critical for minor political parties to be able to measure the support that they receive at the ballot box in order to attract new candidates, raise money and advance their agenda.

Unfortunately, the new voting method places the very existence of minor parties in New York in jeopardy. Under state law, a party must receive at least 50,000 votes for its gubernatorial candidate, or it will lose an automatic spot on the ballot in the future. Not only that, but the parties appear on the ballot in an order determined by the number of votes that their previous gubernatorial candidate received.

With the obstacles that already exist for minor parties, it is anything but a level playing field to compete with the major parties. The gears of the political system in Albany have been set for too long to benefit them. And now, there is yet another obstacle to third parties earning the voters' attention.

A double vote is an honest mistake. The state should choose to recognize it as such by returning the ballot and giving the voter an opportunity to choose which party they intend to support. The state should never make this choice on behalf of the voter - especially if that choice might cost a political party recognition and support.

While we lost the first round of our challenge to this law in court, we will continue to work to overturn it in court and in Albany, through legislative means. Until then, voters who support a minor party should take extra care to mark their ballot only once for each office on Nov. 2.

Cantor is executive director of the Working Families Party. Long is chairman of the Conservative Party.

October 28, 2010

David Carlucci is the Working Families / Democratic Party endorsed candidate for the 38th Sentate District - These are his thoughts on reforming NYS government.

1. Voters are supposed to select their representatives, not the other way around. The only way to reform the system is to take the elected officials out of the process and appoint a non-partisan commission to redraw the lines.

2. Last year's coup was over member items, and it underscores how bad the problem has gotten. We need to standardize member-item monies so that each district gets the same amount, regardless of party affiliation or seniority.

3. We need a property tax cap so that we can stop the current practice of using property owners as a limitless ATM. Some version of a "circuit breaker" is the best option for developing a fair property tax system for all homeowners. However, a spending cap is only as effective as the additional measures taken to balance the budget.

4. How are we supposed to make intelligent decisions about who we are electing or re-electing without knowing what corporate or special interests influence them? I support strong ethics reform legislation that will mandate full disclosure of outside income.

Furthermore, we need public funding for elections in order to remove undue influence from corporations and lobbyists on lawmakers.

5. The Founders of the Constitution didn't incorporate term limits because they believed in the power of the electorate to vote out ineffective legislators. When we reform the process to limit the power of incumbency, we will return the process to its original intent and have fair elections every term. However, if we are unable to incorporate the changes necessary to limit the power of incumbency, artificially influencing the options of the electorate by limiting terms may be a good secondary option.

6. I am proposing a four-point plan that includes: a tax refund for companies who hire unemployed New Yorkers; incentives for companies that create local jobs; expand the Department of Labor's "work sharing" program. which reduces hours or pay, but allows employees to keep working with benefits; and streamline bureaucracy for entrepreneurs.

7. "Hydrofracking," in many respects, is New York's equivalent to the Gulf's deep water oil drilling process and must be treated as such. As a pro-business Democrat, I will get behind proposals that would help stimulate the economy upstate and lessen our dependence on foreign oil, but only if we can ensure that any such process is safe for New Yorkers.

Sparaco is the Republican candidate in the 94th Assembly District in Rockland County and is running against imcumbent Kenneth Zebrowski, Jr. He is seen at just about every Tea Party event in the county - rallies, town hall meetings and tax day protests. He was even amongst the dog pack snarling and growling about Orangetown’s proposed workforce housing zoning. O'town, it should be noted, is far far away from either his Rockland County Legislative District or the Assembly district he is campaigning for.

From the Journal News:

Sparaco, 34, who is seeking election to the state Assembly, is the son of Frank Sparaco Jr., a convicted killer with mob ties. The younger Sparaco said he did not know any of the money he received came from those associated with organized crime.

"I didn't know," Sparaco said during an Aug. 26 interview at The Journal News. "I have no association with any criminal activity nor have I ever."

A review of campaign finance records shows that at least $11,500 from reputed mobsters and their businesses went into Sparaco's coffers since 2007, including at least $10,000 during the past 15 months.

The money was donated to Sparaco's Rockland County Legislature campaign in 2007, as well as his current Assembly effort.

He is running on the Republican, Conservative and Working Families lines in the Nov. 2 general election against incumbent Kenneth Zebrowski, who is on the Democratic and Independence lines.

The money came from reputed members of the Colombo organization, including those who knew Sparaco's father, a reputed capo in the crime family.Sparaco, 34, who is seeking election to the state Assembly, is the son of Frank Sparaco Jr., a convicted killer with mob ties. The younger Sparaco said he did not know any of the money he received came from those associated with organized crime.

"I didn't know," Sparaco said during an Aug. 26 interview at The Journal News. "I have no association with any criminal activity nor have I ever."

A review of campaign finance records shows that at least $11,500 from reputed mobsters and their businesses went into Sparaco's coffers since 2007, including at least $10,000 during the past 15 months.

At the very least, Sparaco should return the questionable contributions immediately.

November 01, 2009

Aney Paul is not an endorsed candidate of the Working Families Party. She is, however, the one of the orchestrators and the beneficiary of a scheme to hijack Row E, and by extension, the name and reputation of the Working Families Party.

John Maloney & George Hoehmann were the endorsed candidates of the Working Families Party.

The Working Families Party has a rigorous endorsement process to ensure that candidates on our ballot line support our goals.Candidates are asked to complete a thorough questionnaire to determine their position on our issues.After completing the questionnaire, candidates are invited to an interview with a panel of Rockland County members.Only after satisfactorily completing both steps are candidates recommended for endorsement.

John Maloney honored our process, and was resoundingly endorsed.He earned his endorsement not just for his stand on Working Families issues, but also because of his decades of service to his community, his church, and through his long career with Catholic Charities.

George Hoehmann honored our process and was also resoundingly endorsed.He too stands with us on our issues.In his day job he is the CFO of Camp Venture, an organization that offers care and services to children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Aney Paul , their opponent, Aney Paul, never approached the Working Families Party for consideration.Aney Paul has no record of public service to match those of Maloney or Hoehmann.She has never worked with us to achieve any of our goals.In short, she is an opportunist seeking to use the Working Families name and reputation to further her political agenda.

SNEAK ATTACK!

On the last possible day to file, an Opportunity to Ballot Petition for the Working Families Party for Clarkstown Town Council was submitted to the Rockland County Board of Elections.For those unfamiliar with the subtleties of New York State election law, and Opportunity to Ballot, or OTB, petition is a means by which party members can call for a write-in primary in what might otherwise be an uncontested party designation.The process is intended to empower legitimate party members: it is not intended as means by which one party’s candidate can steal the line of another party.

The three Working Families Party registrants listed on the OTB petition as a committee to receive notices are family members of Thomas Ninan, one of Paul’s backers.

40 NEW REGISTRANTS AT THE LAST MINUTE

In the last possible days to register to vote in the primary, 40 new voters, some recent high school graduates and others recent immigrants, were registered into the Working Families Party.It wasn’t that 40 people individually registered by mail or walked into the Board of Elections to enroll.Rather, the registration cards were dropped off in bulk.

These new registrants were for the most part sons and daughters of Aney Paul’s political clique.

40 ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUESTS FILED AT THE LAST MINUTE.

Just before the deadline, 40 absentee ballot requests were delivered to the Board of Elections.Not mailed.Dropped off in bulk.The absentee ballots were then picked up by operatives of the Aney Paul campaign.

40 ABSENTEE BALLOTS HANDED IN JUST BEFORE THE DEADLINE.

On the Monday before the Primary Election 40 absentee ballots were dropped off. In bulk.

NO VOTES FOR ANEY PAUL ON PRIMARY DAY

On September 15, the day of Primary Election, both John Maloney & George Hoemann received 20 and 21 votes respectively.Aney Paul received no votes on any of the voting machines.Not a single vote.

40 VOTESFOR BARACK OBAMA WHEN ABSENTEE BALLOTS ARE OPENED ONE WEEK LATER

Absentee ballots were opned one week later, on September 22nd.7 more votes came in each for John Maloney & George Mahoney.All of the absentee ballots returned by the last minute registrants recruited by Aney Paul’s faction were marked for Aney Paul.The other name written in was Barack Obama.

THE FRAUDSTERS WIN

So at the end of the day, 40 young voters, mostly sons and daughters of Aney Paul’s inner circle, who were registered into the Working Families Party for the sole purpose ofsubverting ourendorsement process, stole the Working Families line from an honorable public servant and handed it to a rank opportunist.

October 07, 2009

The Justice For All Speakers Forum and the Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation are presenting a discussion with Kim Bobo on Sunday, October 11th. Bobo, of Interfaith Worker Justice, will be presenting on Wage Theft in America. Wage Theft in America isn’t just the title of her recent book, but also a growing problem throughout the country. Millions of workers are being cheated while employers continue to take advantage and profit off of workers in almost every industry. Bobo has outlined what we can do to prevent these injustices and will be in Poughkeepsie to discuss it with us.

October 04, 2009

Clarkstown Town Council candidate Aney Paul has failed to
make all five campaign finance filings required by New York State Election Law.

There is a political committee listed with the New York State
Board of Elections - Friends of Aney Paul.Aney Paul is listed as the committee’s treasure.The committee address is Ms Paul’s home
address.

Candidate Paul was seen campaigning in June, handing out
literature and signs.The mid-year
report due July 15, 2009 would have shown from whom she received funding and
how she spent it in furtherance of her campaign, including printing the
literature and printing the signs.Ms Paul did not file that report.

Paul was involved in 2 primary elections, one for the
Democratic Party line and as well asan opportunity to ballot ( a hijack attempt ), organized by some of her
faction.Three campaign finance
reports are required for a primary election.

The first due was the 32 day pre-primary report, due August
14th.This report would
have covered the period from July through mid-August.Candidate Paul held a fundraiser on August 6th,
2009.

The proceeds from this fundraiser should have reported on
the 32 day pre-primary report.Candidate Paul has not filed this report, now 6 weeks overdue.

The next report mandated by campaign finance regulations is
the 12 day pre-primary filing, which this year fell due on September 4th.Again candidate / treasurer Paul failed
to file this report.

September 24th was the filing date for the 10 day
post-primary report .Again Ms
Paul was delinquent.

The 32 day pre-general election report was due on October 2,
2009.No report has been filed as
of this writing.

Altogether, in the 4 months of her campaign, Ms Paul, acting
as treasurer of her own campaign committee, has neglected to file 5 separate campaign
finance statements.

Campaign finance regulations are put in place to ensure that
voters and residents can see what interests are financing political campaigns.

There are any number of reasons why Aney Paul has ignored
the campaign finance requirements:ignorance, contempt, incompetence, disorganization or a desire to
conceal her funding sources.None
of the likely reasons are indicative of a trustworthy candidate or politicians.